- Editor's Note: Sheng Peng will be a regular contributor to NBC Sports California’s Sharks coverage. You can read more of his coverage on San Jose Hockey Now, listen to him on the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast, and follow him on Twitter at @Sheng_Peng.
If the Sharks trade Erik Karlsson this summer, it will probably be a trade unlike any other in NHL history.
It’s that challenging of a deal because of his contract.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Signed by the Sharks in June 2019, Karlsson’s eight-year, $92 million pact made him the NHL's highest-paid defenseman. Indicative of how massive it still is -- and of course, a global pandemic has something to do with that too -- four years later, Karlsson still is the highest-paid defenseman in the league.
To move a contract with an $11.5 million average annual value (AAV) is no small feat, especially since the salary cap hasn’t risen significantly since 2019, in large part because of the pandemic. Since the 2019-20 NHL season, the cap has only gone up $2 million, up to $83.5 million.
